US President Donald Trump has revoked more international student visas at American universities.
The institutions include UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine and Stanford.
According to DailyMail, college officials worry the new approach will keep foreigners from wanting to study in the US and cut off a source of important revenue from overseas tuition fees.
At Stanford University, four students and two recent graduates abruptly lost their legal status, a statement issued on Sunday said.
At UCLA, the revocations hit at least nine international students, faculty and student groups said Saturday, Los Angeles Times reported.
At UC San Diego, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said in a campus message that five students had their visas revoked.
He said the university received the notification “without warning.”
Khosla said a sixth student was “detained at the border, denied entry and deported to their home country.”
“The federal government has not explained the reasons behind these terminations. The students have been notified and we are working directly with them to provide support,” Khosla wrote.
Describing a “fluid situation,” a UC Berkeley spokesperson said the school had identified at least six revoked visas. The spokesperson said four were for current undergraduate and graduate students. Two others were for recent graduates.
At UC Davis, officials said visas for seven students and five recent graduates were terminated.
“This number may change. Federal agents have not entered our campus, and they have not placed any member of our community in custody,” a university statement said on Saturday.
A University of California statement said that “several” campuses had students who lost their visa status but did not offer more information.
The statement said UC is “aware that international students across several of our campuses have been impacted by recent SEVIS terminations,” referring to the U.S. government’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System database.
“… We continue to monitor and assess its implications for the UC community and the people affected. We are committed to doing what we can to support all members of our community as they exercise their rights under the law. In doing that, the university will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws.”
A spokesperson for USC, where the more than 17,000 international students make up the largest foreign student population in the state, declined to say whether students on campus were part of the visa sweep. “The university does not disclose information about the status of individual student visas,” a university statement said.
The actions are part of mass visa cancellations that appear to have unfolded at campuses across the country and caught school administrators by surprise.
Other campuses to announce visa revocations include the University of Kentucky, University of Oregon and Ohio State University. (Daily trust)
